Apparatus for laying reenforced concrete



June 9, 1925. 1,540,901

J. F. RO'BB APPARATUS FOR LAYING RBENFORCED CONCRETE Filed March 26, 1921 Patented June 9., 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. ROBE, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO KOEHRING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, \VISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- CONSIN.

APPARATUS FOR LAYING REENFORGED CONCRETE,

Application filed March 26, 1921. Serial No. 455,887. I

To alt whom it may concern Be it known that I, JoHN F. Rose, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Laying li-eenforced Concrete, of which the following is a specification.

At the present time, in the construction of concrete roads, it is customary to deposit a base layer of concrete by the use of a suitable distributing machine, thereafter lay upon the concrete a section of reenforcing, and then deposit upon the reenforcing and base layer of concrete a surface layer or section of concrete. The concrete is distributed by machinery but the metal reenforcement employed is handled manually, several laborers being required in order to transfer the reenforcement from a side of the road to its proper place upon the preliminary first or base layer of concrete above referred to.

In view of the factthat specifications for road building contracts are more and more requiring the use of reenforcement to afford the utmostprecaution and safety against longitudinal breaking of the road when built, the need of eflicient means of laying the concrete with the reenforcing, avoiding the laborious handling of the latter, will be self evident.

The object of this invention has been to design a compact machine, and devise an efficient means, whereby to lay concrete roads with reenforcement imbedded therein in a single progressive operation. In other words, the concrete and reenforcement are simultaneously deposited, and separate operations of depositing the concrete into distinct layers, and handling the reenforcement at a time intermediate said depositing opera tions, are avoided.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment comprising a machine by which the invention hereinafter set forth may be carried out;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a slightly different relative arrangement of the mixer, a somewhat different form of distributor, and a diflerent way of supporting the machine over the subgrade.

At A in the drawings is illustrated a conyentional type of concrete mixer having a tiltable discharge and mixing chute B. The chute B is adapted to conduct mixed concrete to the distributing chute C which leads to the subgrade l of the road. The mixeigis adapted to be supplied with large quantities of aggregates-to be mixed therein,

by means of a derrick comprising a mast 2 and boom 5, with suitable equipment by which the boom may be connected to hoist to be propelled by any suitable means, a gas motor or a steam engine being often used.

designated 6 and may comprise wheels 7 by which itis adapted to travel uponthe road forms 8, at opposite sides of the road,said

forms constituting rails. At a point adjacent to the derrick which is generally indieated at D, the support'6 is provided with standards 6 to carry the shaft 9 on which is mounted a bale or reel of reenforcement, such as bar mesh, or'metal fabric used in reenforcing concrete roads. From the bale of reenforcement designated 10 the said reenforcement is adapted to be fed between straightening rolls 11 to guide rolls 12 which are carried by depending arms 13 adjustably supported at 14 upon the support or truck 6. By anchoring the free end of the reenforcing 1O preliminarily to the use of the machine, it will be evident that as the machine progresses over the subgrade of the road thereenforcing '10 unwinds from the bale formation thereof, is straightened, and guided and held in proper position over the subgrade.

At the same time as the machine is propelled forward the mixed concrete aggregates are discharged upon the subgrade by the chutes B and G. The aggregates pass thru the reenforcement material which is of large mesh and in no way offers an obstacle to such operation.

From the foregoing it will be evident that in a progressive continuous manner concrete and reenforcing maybe laid upon the subgrade of the road, the reenforcing being imbedded at the proper depth adapted to be The portable. supportjust referred to is 7 regulated as required, and the distinct and separate operations heretofore performed in actual practice are combined in a single op erationwith resultant advantage.

The derrick D used to load the mixer A is also useful for the purpose of loading bales of reenforcing fabric or metal into position upon the standards 6*. For this purpose simple grapple equipment intermediate.

the derrick and shaft 9' isemployed.

Figure 2 shows a machine similar to that above described in all general principles. The main difierences of construction are the employment ofendles's tracks or caterpillars at 15 to carrythe main weight or load of the machine and materials supported thereon, and adapted to travel on the subgrade itself. Thedistribut cr C is a boom and bucket type of distributor, well known in the art. The rear end: of the supporter truck is extended as shown at 16 so that the arms 13 and guide rollsl-Zmay be properly positioned to hold thereenforcing material at a correct elevation the bucket distributor deposits the aggregates in position upon the subgradei @f coursewhenathe' road isionce started in construction the: aggregates which have been laid; form a means for'firmly holding the fabric, as soon as these aggregates begin: to set If 'desirechthe reenforcin'g materialmay beposit'ivelyi fed from the machine by pulling: devices and. for thispurpose the rearmost o'fthe feeding; and. gi'iidingv rollers; 12 may he positively driven from the motor. of theimachine;

Having thus descrihedv my invention, what 15 claim asnew and desire" to, obtainby Letters Patent is:

1, In a; machinefor constructing concrete roads, in combination, a, portable support adapted totrav'elover a. road subgrade, a concrete distributing; unit mounted upon saith support, and adapted to-feed concrete aggregates to the subgrade, concrete reenforcingsupply means on said'portable support,andfmeanscarried by said support for supporting said reenforcing in spaced rela tion fromthe concrete distributor and in spaced relation tothe base of the suhgrade,

so that materials fed from the concrete distributor pass through the reenforcing to a predetermined depth below the same, and cover said reenforcing to a predetermined depth above the same. I

2. In a machine for constructing concrete roads, in combination a portable support adapted to travel over: the subgrade on which the road is to be laid, concrete reenforcing supply means on said support, a motor for moving the support and thereby causing a feeding of the recnforcing material from its supply means to the subgrade, means carriedihy said support and including a series of guiding rollers arranged above thesubgrade and coacting with the reenforcing, to maintain the latter in spaced relation to the bottom of'the subgr'ade', and means for supplying concrete aggregates to the subgrade from a point above the reenforcing feed thereon, and simultaneously with the feeding action of said'reenforciug, so that the concrete passes through the reenforcing and over the same as the machine travels i1 progressing along the road bed.

In a concrete road building machine, i n combination, a portable support to travel over the road subgrade, concrete supply means on said support, a concrete distributor adapted to distribute materials to the sub grade-- when: received from said supply means, reen'forcing supply means on the machine a motor driving the portable support by progressive movement along the sub grade so as to' eifectfeeding of the reenforcingrfrom the supply means, and also effect a progressive dist-ril'nition of the concrete aggregates as the machine advances, and supporting arms carried by said support and pro ided with guiding means for-guiding the reenforcing' in its movement and maintainingvits space from the'base of the subgrade, the said arms and uiding; means being disposedheneath thedistributor so that the-latter operates over. the same and cause the distributed aggregates to pass through the reenforcingand abox e the same to a-predetermined depth, thereby embedding the reenforcing therein; V

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN F. ROBE; 

